


Merry Christmas

by GooseEgg



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Presents, Christmas With Family, Fluff, Gen, Minor Garrus/Tali, does this qualify as fluff i hope so, garrus and tali are cute as hell sign me right up y'all
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-06
Updated: 2017-02-06
Packaged: 2018-09-22 12:58:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9608543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GooseEgg/pseuds/GooseEgg
Summary: Shepard brings the newest crew member a Christmas gift as the Normandy prepares for its traditional Christmas Dinner.





	

When the Alliance first stepped into the space beyond the Charon Relay, it became an unofficial tradition that the ship's yeoman kept a clock and a calendar synced to Greenwich Mean Time. This served the singular purpose of allowing the crew to keep up their cultural and religious observances if they so desired.

When Shepard took command of the  _ Normandy SR-2 _ , reinstating that tradition was one of her first actions. The human crew shared their observances with the non-human crew, and vice-versa, and before long a week could barely go by without a small gathering in the mess hall for a festival or a ceremony.

When the Reapers launched their invasion, Shepard maintained the tradition, earnestly believing the handful of hours spent not working provided much-needed morale for her crew. On one occasion, however, she pulled the  _ Normandy _ into port and demanded a rest day.

 

**25 December, 2186**

**13:43 GMT**

Shepard rolled onto her back and looked up at the ceiling of her cabin. Beyond the reinforced window, the Serpent Nebula spun lazily behind the arms of the Citadel.

“ EDI?”

“ _ Yes, Shepard?” _ EDI's tinny voice rang out through the cabin.

“ Do we have a final guest list for dinner tonight? I need to know how many place settings to set up, or if we'll need to find some accommodations on the Citadel. Also if I need to wrap gifts immediately or if it can wait.”

There was a quiet moment, no doubt as EDI popped around the ship asking the crew to confirm their attendance.

“ _ The entire crew will be in attendance, and we have also received responses from Grunt, Kasumi Goto, Kolyat Krios, Jack, Miranda, and Kelly Chambers.” _

Shepard remembered the last time she'd hosted a dinner with Jack and Miranda in attendance. It had taken the better part of two days to clean the potatoes out of that wall panel. “Well, if nothing else, it'll be eventful. Did uh, did Javik say he'd come too? We even made him up a stocking.”

“ _ I believe so, Shepard. I received no response just now. He may be resting. _ ”

Shepard flew up out of bed, grabbing for her sweats. “ _ Perfect. _ Could you have Grunt meet me on the engineering deck in a few?”

 

**_Normandy_ ** **Engineering Deck** **  
** **13:56 GMT**

Grunt was already waiting near the port cargo bay when Shepard stepped off the elevator. Despite Shepard’s insistence, he was still wearing his bright silver and blue armor.

“Could you really not have worn something comfortable? It’s Christmas.”

“Reapers don’t care if it’s Christmas, Shepard. Gotta be prepared. Here,” he held out a crudely-made stocking, “Made this for the Prothean. The gift you asked for is inside with everyone else’s.”

Shepard took the stocking and placed it gently on the floor before throwing her arms around Grunt in the best approximation of a hug she could offer the armored krogan.

“Merry Christmas, Grunt. And ‘the Prothean’ has a name. Please try to use it.”

Grunt shifted awkwardly on the spot. “Huh. Merry Christ’m, Shepard.”

Shepard pulled away and smiled warmly at him. “Shall we?” Grunt nodded slowly, before picking up the stocking and handing it back to her.

Shepard tapped the door panel, Javik's stocking in her free hand. There was no response. She tapped the panel again, and knocked on the door for good measure. There was a grunt that could almost be mistaken for a greeting from within Javik's quarters. The door slid open. The port cargo bay was as humid as ever, everything covered in a slick layer of condensed moisture. Javik sat on the floor, presumably meditating.

“ Javik? Grunt and I have brought you something.”

The Prothean opened his four eyes and fixed them on Shepard. They flicked over to Grunt for a moment, sizing him up. “Yes, Commander? What can I do for you?”

Shepard held out the stocking. “Merry Christmas, Javik. We, the crew and I, pitched together and got you some things.” Javik looked perplexed as he took the bright red stocking. “It's Christmas. You give gifts to friends and family. Liara made a little booklet of Prothean digsites she'd like to take you to sometime. Garrus gave you some turian films. Hell, Grunt even made you something.”

Javik pulled out a vaguely Prothean shaped plush figurine.

“ Squeeze,” Grunt grunted.

The Prothean tentatively squeezed the plush Prothean, holding it a good arm's length away.

“ _ Primitives!”  _ squawked the stuffed toy, its eyes bugging out. Grunt erupted into his deep, echoing laughter as Javik looked from the toy in his hand, to Shepard, to Grunt, and back again.

“ I don't understand,” he said, “what is this?”

“ It's you! Remember, after we woke you up everything was 'primitive' this and 'primitive' that.”

“ Everything  _ is _ primitive.”

“ That's not the point. It's recognizable. So I had Grunt make a little something for you. It's a gift from all the crew and myself and some of my friends to you, since you're the newest crew member.”

Javik looked down at the gift in his hands, one finger idly stroking it. “A gift... The gifts I am accustomed to receiving are.. weapons. Ammunition packs. Sometimes a friend would offer me their rations on my 'birthday'. I.. Thank you, Commander, and thank you, Krogan.”

“ We'd like you to join us for Christmas dinner. It won't quite be what most of the crew are used to, but Gardner made do with what he could, and there's even some dextro dishes if you'd prefer. I still don't quite know what you eat. Some friends are even coming aboard to join--”

Javik held up a hand. “Commander, please. I would be honoured to join you all for this meal.”

 

**_Normandy_ ** **Crew Deck**

**17:42 GMT**

The mess area was packed bulkhead to bulkhead with people. A pleasant sound of laughter and happy conversation filled the air. At one table, EDI and Joker sat intertwined as EDI entertained Ensign Copeland by having a conversation with herself between the ship and her body. At another, Garrus' hand inched across the table to rest on Tali's, as they both tried to avoid the other's gaze. For one brief, happy moment, Shepard could almost forget there was a war going on.

“ Excuse me, everyone,” Shepard rose to her feet and gently tapped her spoon against her cup, “I'd just like a moment please.”

The conversation died down and everyone turned to look at her.

“ First of all I'd like to wish you all a very merry Christmas. It's only my second with some of you, and third with most of you, but I look forward to it every year. Second, thank you to our non-human friends and family for offering some of their favourite dishes.” She sighed, and looked down at the table. “We lost some friends this past year. There's a good chance we could lose many more before next year. I'd like you all to join me in a toast, before Gardner and Traynor bring out our delicious meal.”

Shepard raised her cup, and the crew followed suit.

“ To absent friends, and new family.”

As she sat back down, she looked around the room, surveying her family. Javik sat stiffly, making conversation with Diana. No doubt she was grilling him on what the Protheans were really like. Across the table from him, Liara looked on, happy to learn what she could about her specialty, even if they sat on a broken pedestal in her mind.

Yes, this crew were Shepard's family, and she was glad to have them, no matter what might happen.

**Author's Note:**

> Veronica still doesn't know how to end things y'all.  
> Or come up with titles.  
> Also this is ten months early, not two months late.


End file.
